August 4, 2009 FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Program
"Notes of the Day"
(1) Emergency Notification/Warning:
Sorenson, John H, et al. Results of the Effectiveness of Using Reverse Telephone Emergency Warning Systems in the October 2007 San Diego Wildfires (ORNL/TM-2009/154). Oak Ridge, TN: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, June 2009, 42 pages. Accessed at: http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/cgi-shl/goodbye.asp?url=http://galainsolutions.com/resources/San$2520Diego$2520Wildfire$2520Report.pdf
(2) Health Care Worker Survey on Emergency Response Attitudes (2005):
Qureshi, K., R.R.M. Gershon, M. F. Sherman, T. Straub, E. Gebbie, M. McCollum, M.J. Erwin, and S.S. Morse. “Health Care Workers’ Ability and Willingness to Report to Duty During Catastrophic Disasters.” Journal of Urban Health (Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine), Vol. 82, No. 3, 11 pages, 2005. Accessed at: http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/cgi-shl/goodbye.asp?url=http://www.springerlink.com/content/c0hl689374236374/fulltext.pdf
(3) Knowles Meeting:
Met for over three hours today with Dr. Scott Knowles, Assistant Professor, Department of History and Politics, and Director of the Drexel Great Works Symposium, concerning topics within the history of civil defense and emergency management, including estimations on the impact of current emergency management higher education programs on future disaster losses. Dr. Knowles is writing a book tentatively to be titled “Disaster City,” which will look at several historical large consequence events and their impact or non-impact on evolutionary positive adaptation to or prevention of similar events in the future. For information, Dr. Knowles can be reached at: .
(4) Mental Health Services to Children of Katrina:
Government Accountability Office. Hurricane Katrina: Barriers to Mental Health Services for Children Persist in Greater New Orleans, Although Federal Grants Are Helping to Address Them (Statement of Cynthia A. Bascetta, Director, Health Care, Before the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery, Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate). Washington, DC: GAO Testimony (GAO-09-935T), 11 pages. Accessed at: http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/cgi-shl/goodbye.asp?url=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09935t.pdf -- see also:
Government Accountability Office. Hurricane Katrina: Barriers to Mental Health Services for Children Persist in Greater New Orleans, Although Federal Grants Are Helping to Address Them. Washington, DC: GAO Report to Congressional Requesters (GAO-09-563), July 2009, 55 pages. Accessed at: http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/cgi-shl/goodbye.asp?url=http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09563.pdf
(5) Political and Policy Basis of Emergency Management – Course Revision Project:
Have received for review and approval Session 18, “Policy Science: Tornadoes and Severe Storms,” and Session 19, “Policy Science: Hurricanes and Tropical Storms.”
Session 18 is a one-hour session supported by an 18-page “instructor guide.”
Session 19 is a two-hour session supported by a 29-page “instructor guide.”
The student objectives and the instructor “scope” for this Session 18 are as follows:
By the end of this session, students should be able to:
18.1 Explain why tornadoes/severe storms pose considerable disaster risk for…the U.S.
18.2 Recite the names and procedures of government agencies responsible for providing public warnings for tornado and severe thunderstorm threats.
18.3 Demonstrate an understanding of the opportunities and limitations of tornado mitigation.
18.4 Remember the scientific and technical challenges facing the tornado research community, as well as recall how this research community engages the policy process.
18.5 Discuss why tornado and severe storm events often fall below the threshold of what constitutes justification for a Presidential declaration of major disaster or emergency, thus generating controversy between sub-national governments and the Federal Government.
Scope: This session covers the government’s role in protecting against tornado and severe storm hazard. It considers the political forces which shape public policy aimed at addressing tornado and severe storm threats. This includes government support for greater public education on the subject, improved scientific and technical research regarding tornadoes and severe storms, more and better public alert and warning systems, and more available emergency sheltering, especially in the vicinity of mobile home parks.
The student objectives and the instructor “scope” for this Session 19 are as follows -- by the end of this session, students should be able to:
19.1 Articulate why matters of politics and policy are relevant in some hurricane disasters, but not necessarily others, and offer examples.
19.2 Discuss why Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992 had such major effects on the nation’s law and policy in emergency management.
19.3 Explain political challenges posed in hurricane damage mitigation vis-a-vis zoning, building regulation, retro-fitting, and relocation.
19.4 Summarize the major findings of presidential and congressional investigations of the Hurricane Katrina response from 2005-2007.
19.5 Describe some of the major scientific and technical issues surrounding hurricane prediction and tracking.
19.6 Offer observations on the mounting costs of hurricane damage and the political issues which surround the coverage and assumption of these costs.
19.7 Recount some of the main features of FEMA’s National Hurricane Program, revamped in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Scope: This session surveys America’s political experience with hurricane disasters. It examines several hurricane-related laws and programs relevant at each stage of the disaster cycle. At the local level in the mitigation and preparedness stages, hurricane-related politics involves decision-making regarding zoning, building regulations for hurricane mitigation, setback rules, beach preservation and dune protection, open space requirements, and a host of other concerns which affect a community’s degree of protection and vulnerability to hurricanes. As a hurricane looms, authorities must decide whether or not to call for an evacuation of the threatened areas, and whether the evacuation will be voluntary or compulsory. These decisions embody dramatic economic and political implications.
At the State level, authorities must promote and disseminate hurricane forecast and tracking information, help (along with localities) to effect evacuation and sheltering when needed, maintain State utility infrastructures, conduct damage assessments, and facilitate post-hurricane reconstruction.
The Federal Government supplements State and local duties under the National Response Framework before, during, and after hurricane landfalls. Legislative officials engage in the post-disaster oversight of responding public agencies.
This session devotes considerable attention to Hurricane Katrina of 2005, and secondarily Hurricane Andrew of 1992, because each has had a major impact on the law, policy, politics, public image, and practice of emergency management.
These materials are being reviewed prior to providing to the EMI web staff for uploading to the EM Hi-Ed Program web site. The review should be accomplished this week. The URL for access to this material when it becomes available for review and comment will be: http://training.fema.gov/emiweb/cgi-shl/goodbye.asp?url=http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/polpolbasis.asp -- should be up within two weeks.
(6) This Day in Disaster History – August 4, 1853 – Yellow Fever – New Orleans, LA:
On this day in 1853, the press in New Orleans reports that 135 residents have died from yellow fever in the immediate past 24-hour reporting period. (Fenner, E. D. History of the Epidemic Yellow Fever at New Orleans, LA. In 1853. NY: Hall, Clayton & Co., 1854, 84 pages (p. 38).)
(7) Email Inbox Backlog: 621
(8) EM Hi-Ed “Notes of the Day” Distribution: 25,371 subscribers.
B. Wayne Blanchard, Ph.D., CEM
Higher Education Program Manager
Emergency Management Institute
National Preparedness Directorate
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Department of Homeland Security
16825 S. Seton, K-011
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu
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